Disorganized Speech

Hi.

I was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic back in 2005. I've not had a hospitalization for a psychotic break since 2006, but did have about 4 or 5 seemingly clustered hospitalizations for psychosis between 2005 and 2006.

After said psychotic episodes and even during a few I have noticed I have never really suffered the symptom of disorganized speech. I can speak and write just fine.

I spoke with my psychiatrist today about my diagnoses and asked if my diagnoses is correct seeing as I have not seemed to suffer any relapses. She told me I am coping well with the diagnoses with the medicine I am on, and perhaps early diagnoses has spared me a lot of the symptoms worsening, and has helped to ensure I do not relapse.

My thoughts as of late have simply been that the disorganized speech has not seemed to be a theme throughout my illness.

I was wondering if there are others here diagnosed as paranoid type- I do realize they no longer use the type sets- here and if they have had patterns of disorganized speech or whether it has or has not played a role throughout their illness?

Any thoughts?

Are you able to get a degree / hold a job?
Do you doubt your diagnosis? (I think everyone does)
Are you hoping to stop medication? (probably not a good idea)
There are highly functioning schizophrenics that do well as long as they stay medicated.
Some might even do well off meds with therapy and close monitoring.
I don't think disorganized speech is a defining symptom of schizophrenia in all cases.

z7z wrote:Are you able to get a degree / hold a job?
Do you doubt your diagnosis? (I think everyone does)
Are you hoping to stop medication? (probably not a good idea)
There are highly functioning schizophrenics that do well as long as they stay medicated.
Some might even do well off meds with therapy and close monitoring.
I don't think disorganized speech is a defining symptom of schizophrenia in all cases.

I have been able to hold a part time job last year, it was short lived, but I was not fired, I had quit but it was not due to illness. I could work fine, as a dishwasher in a small local pizza place. I could pay attention to work and speak and get along with my co-workers.

I like working, it builds confidence.

Yes I doubt my diagnoses. I do suffer paranoia at times, and I do sometimes see things, but I do not suffer delusions, and when I see something most times I realize it as a hallucination, there was only one time what I saw seemed real, and I couldn't differentiate.

I'd agree I think we all may question our diagnoses.

I'm actually not looking to stop my medication. I actually recently suggested to my psychiatrist that I be given something to help with recent anxiety, which she did agree with and prescribe.

I have trouble understanding how a schizophrenic can be high functioning. Most days I feel perfectly normal, if anything I seem to have trouble regulating my moods.

I notice a lot of irritability most of the time. I can get unusually irritable, and I may not even show it to those around me, just kinda keep a lot of it quiet. Then there are days I am obviously irritable.

Thanks for your post and explanation on disorganized speech.

Schizophrenia does not deprive a person of intelligence, it does not deprive him of the ability to distinguish his hallucinations from the real world, does not deprive the ability to speak normally. *mod edit*

What is the difference between mental illness and all other diseases?
Any disease brings changes in the body - changes in body temperature, changes in pressure, changes on the level of cells. It's not in mental illness, no matter how severe the symptoms are. Your brain is intact. It's only disoriented in the external energy flux. Therefore, in schizophrenia is very important your experience in such of unusual states of mind.

Schizophrenia is a delusion. It can be hallucinations, it can be sharply strengthened feelings which change a picture of the world and create a problem where it isn't present. The man who first faced with this may not immediately notice the artificiality and affectation of his feelings. This ability comes later with the experience of such states.

*mod edit*